Microsoft, Epson Cross-License Patents

Microsoft and Epson announced an agreement Monday that would allow their respective companies access to each other's patent portfolios and incorporate those technologies into its products. The patents cover a wide variety of consumer and business applications, and extend an already-present relationship between the two companies. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

The agreement with Epson is not a first for Microsoft. The company already has similar cross-licensing arrangements with companies such as Cisco, NEC, Nortel Networks, Siemens, SAP and Toshiba. Epson is an active patent filer; last year, it was third in published patents in Japan. Both companies also plan to extend their relations to mutually assist one another in protecting intellectual property, Epson said.